I stumbled upon AngelList, angel.co, the other day and was thrilled to see it existed, and since 2013 apparently. Quite simply, and from their site, AngelList is a platform for startups. That’s it. A startup company lists their business on the site with a profile page, angel investors can check them out and decide if it’s worth pursuing an investment. It’s like Shark Tank on the internet.
Big time tech founders of sites such as Yelp, Uber, Twitter, and PayPal to high profile investors such as actor Ashton Kutcher (Uber, AirBnB, Soundcloud) and the real Shark Tank’s own Mark Cuban are among the million plus people who are a part of AngelList. Investment in these companies can start with just $1000. So while the minimum amount isn’t Kickstarter type money, unlike that crowdfunding program, when you put your money in a company with a service or product you like on AngelList you become an investor.
Of course, not every start up is going to get past the first turn on the track, but the access you have to learning about these companies, the people behind them and the chance to connect feels like a game changer in our culture. If anything, it’s a great clearinghouse to discover new products and services from Silicon Valley.
